Fluid dispenser for lighters



Sept- 9, 1930- J. J. DONOVAN ET AL FLUID DISPENSER FOR LIGHTBRS FiledDec. 5, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 9, 1930. DONOVAN ET AL 1,775,423

FLUID DISPENSER FOR LIGHTERS Filed Dec. 5, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3Sheets-Sheet I5 w o s a s z s J. J. DONOVAN ET AL FLUID DISPENSER FORLIGHTERS Filed Dec. 5, 1928 Sept. 9, 1930.

Patented Sept. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN J. DONOVANQANDFRED L. v. 'srnme, or WATER-BURY, CONNECTICUT, nssrenons TO THE cnasncomrnmns mconronn'rnn, or wnrnnnumr, CONNECTICUT, A con- DURATION FLUIDDISPENSER FOR LIGHTERS A lication filed December 5, 1928. Serial No.323,825.

Our invention relates to an improved fluiddispenser, for lighters, ourobject being to produce asimple, safe, convenient and attractive deviceconstructed with particular ref- .erence to enabling the users oflighters to refill them with the maximum of convenience and withoutdanger of spilling any of the lighting-fluid or smearing the fingerswith the same.

With these ends inview, our invention consists in a fluid-dispenser forlighters characterized by having a font and a vertically. arrangedyielding plunger located therein and adapted at its upper end totemporarily re ceive the filling-opening of-a. lighter which, whenpressed downward upon it, depresses it with respect to the font andcauses the ejection of a predetermined quantity of fluid therefrom intothe lighter.

Our invention further consists in a fluiddispenser characterized asabove and having certain details of construction as will be hereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of our improved fluid-dispenser with itscover shown by broken lines in its open position and one edge of itsfoot in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a corresponding ,view with the cover open; v

Fig. 4 is an enlarged-scale view in vertical section of the device withits plunger in its normal or charging position;

Fig. 5 is a corresponding view showing the plunger in the position intowhich it is depressed by downward pressure upona lighter applied overits self-fitting nozzle;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged-scale broken view in vertical central section ofthe working parts .of the device;

and supported by a spreading foot. 18, the

parts above described being of any suitable form and construction.

A circular central opening 19 in the domical cap 16 receives aninternally-threaded assembling-sleeve 20 soldered in place and in turnreceiving a removable externally-threaded cap-nut 21 which mounts aflaring spill-cup 22 soldered in place and having its contracted lowerend formed with a deep concentric shoulder 23 fitting snugly into theupper face of the said nut. The said shoulder 23 is struck upwardly toform an annular recess 24 receiving the upper end of a plunger-cas-' ing25 which is rigidly secured within it and which is concentric with thesaid font 15.

The bottom of the said shoulder is formed with a. concentric opening 26receiving and forming a bearing for a vertically-yielding tubularplunger 27, the lower portion of which is surrounded by t-he'saidplunger-casso ing 25 which is, in efiect, the cylinder, of which theplunger is the piston-rod.

At its upper end the said plunger is formed with external threads forthe reception of a nozzle 28 made self-fitting by having its upper endtapered and formed with a small discharge-opening 29 which'is surroundedby a fibrous gasket 30 held in place by a knurled sleeve 31 internallythreaded for application to the external threads of the nozzle. taperingend of the nozzle is adapted with its gasket in size to fit the variousfilling-openings of lighters when the same are crowded down over the taering end of the nozzle and the yielding sur ace of the gasket 30 so asto form a sufiiciently tight joint to prevent the escape of the fluid asit is being injected into the fluid-compartment of the lighter.

Near its lower end the hollow plunger 27 is provided with adouble-acting plunger-head The 90 or piston consisting of two cu -shapedwashers 31 and 32 fitting snugly within the plunger-casing 25, in whichthey face in opposite directions. The upwardly-facing upper washer 31 isabutted against a stop-collar 33 threaded over the threaded lower end ofthe plunger 27 and held against it by a spacingwasher 34 -also threadedover the plunger and forming an abutment for the downwardly-facing lowerwasher, which is jammed against it by the upper end of aninternallythreaded sleeve-like valve-casing 35 screwed over the threadedlower end of the plunger 27 and depending below the same and, therefore,located below the washers 31 and 32 aforesaid. The said valve-casing 35receives a spindle-like check-valve 36 having an upstanding guide-stem37 and normally resting upon a valve-seat 38 in the lower end of thesaid valve-casing 35. The lower end of the plunger 27 is formed withlateral fluid-inlet ports 39 (Fig. 8) which provide for the passage ofthe fluid from the valve-casing 35 into it when the valve 36 is liftedfrom its seat.

The plunger 27 and hence the nozzle 28 are normally sustained in anelevated or charging position by means of a helical operatingorplunger-s ring 40 interposedbetween the lower end 0 the valve-easing 35and a ring 41 set into a recess in the upper end of a cuplike plug 42soldered within the lower end of the plunger-casing 25. The lower end ofthe plug 42 is formed with a central port 43 which admits the fluid fromthe font 15 into the plunger-casin 25, the said port 43 being normallyclosed by a flatsealloped checkvalve 44 (Fig. 11).

The spring 40 exerts a constant effort to lift the plunger into andmaintain it in its elevated or charging position, as shown in Fig. 4,this upward movement of the plunger being-limited by a stop-collar 45mounted upon the plunger, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

The spill-cup 22 is provided with a domical cover 46 secured to one edgeof it by a hinge 47 and high enough in its domical form to clear, whenclosed, the nozzle of the plunger when the same is in its chargingposition. A spring 48 is provided for normally holding the cover in itsclosed position, in which it is sealed to prevent any evaporation of thefluid by means of a gasket 49 applied to the lower face of its edge andsecured in place by turning the same to clinch it. In such position thegasket bears, when the cover is closed, directly upon the upper edge ofthe spill-cup. A handle 50 secured to the cover opposite the spring 48provides for opening it. Perforations 51 in the bottom of the spillcupprovide for returning into the font any drops of the fluid that bychance may not be injected into the fluid-compartment of the lighter incharging the same.

. In the use of our improved device, the filling-cap of the lighter, tobe re-charged, is

removed and the 11 hter inverted (Fig. 5) and pressed firmly fown uponthe gasket 30 superimposed u on the tapering upper end of the nozzle, wich so far enters the'fillingopening of the lighter as, to establish afluidtight joint between the same and the gasket, which conforms to thetaper of the nozzle. If by chance any fluid remains at this time in thelighter it is held in suspension therein by the wicking or othermaterial which fills the fluid-chamber or compartment thereof. At thistime, the nozzle being in its elevated or charging position, thatportion of the plunger-casing between the two check-yalves 36 and 44contains one charge of the fluid-a predetermined amount thereofsufficient to recharge a lighter of average fluid-capacity. As thelighter, thus inverted, is pressed downward against the nozzle theoperatingor plunger-spring 40 yields and the plunger starts to descendin its plunger-casing 25. At the very beginning of this downwardmovement, the downwardly-facing cup-shaped plunger-head washer 32develops sufliclent pressure in the column of fluid in the lower end ofthe plunger-casing to seat the lower check-valve 44 firmly upon itsseat, whereby the fluid in the plunger-casing is prevented from beingforced back into the font, and to simultaneously lift the uppercheck-valve 36 above its seat 38, whereby the fluid under pressure ispermitted to enter the valve-casing 35 and hence through the'ports 39 inthe lower end of the plunger into the same. The downward pressureexerted through the inverted lighter upon the nozzle 28 against thetension of the spring 40 being continued, the fluid confined in thelower end of the plunger-casing is forced u ward through the plunger andnozzle and y the latter injected into the fluid-chamber of the lighter,in which it is taken up by the packing thereof, so that it does not flowback.

The lighter, having been charged as described, is removed from thenozzle, whereupon the spring 40 immediately reasserts itself to lift theplunger, at which time the suction produced by the upper washer 31reseats the valve 36 and re-opens the valve 44, whereupon another chargeof fluid of predetermined quantity is drawn from the font into thelunger-casing, thus recharging the device or charging another lighter,the upward movement of the plunger being arrested against the liftingpower of the spring 40 by the stop-collar 45. As soon as the'lighter isremoved from the nozzle, the cover 46 automatically closes over theprojecting upper end of the plunger and over the nozzle and resumes itsposition over the spill-cup, from which it excludes dust and air, beingsealed thereupon by the gasket 49. The device is thus left in readinessfor a. reuse, during which the cycle of operations above recited isrepeated.

We have herein shown our invention as used for charging a pocket-lightercommonly used for lighting clgarettes, but obviously it is not solimitedlin use, since any lighter, whether ortable or stationary, may berecharged yit if its nozzle and the fillingopening thereof can bebrought into operative conjunction.

We claim:

1. In a fluid-dispenser for lighters, the combination with a font, of adownwardlyyielding vertically-movable plunger mounted therein, anexternally-threaded nozzle located at the upper end of the plunger andshaped to enter the filling-opening of a lighter, a gasket fitting overthe tapered upper end of the nozzle, an internally-threadedclamping-sleeve applied to the said nozzle for retaining the said gasketin place there- 'upon, a spring for holding the plunger in itsnormally-elevated charging position, and valves alternately opening andclosing as the plunger is depressed and lifted, whereby the fluid isforcibly ejected from the nozzle when the plunger is depressed bydownward pressure with its said nozzle entered into the filling-openingof a lighter.-

open and close as the plunger is depressedand lifted, whereby portionsof the fluid are alter; nately drawn into the plunger-casing from thefont when the plunger is lifted and ejected therefrom when the same isdepressed.

' In testimony whereof, we have signed this specification.

' JOHN J. DONOVAN.

FRED L. V. SPRING.

2. In a fluld-dispenser for lighters, the

combination with a font, of a downwardlyyielding vertically-movabletubular plunger located therein, a nozzle at the upper end thereofshaped to enter the filling-opening of a, lighter, a plunger-casingenclosin the lower end of the plunger, a dou le-acting plunger-head orpiston carried by the plunger and fitting withln the said casing, adetachable valve-casing formed inde endently of the said plun er-headcarried by the lower end of the sai plunger at a point below the saidplunger-head, a check-valve in the said valve-casing, a spring fornormally holding the said (plun er in its elevated charging position, anI said casing and the font, the said valves being arranged toalternately open and close respectively as the plunger is depressed andelevate 3. In a fluid-dispenser for lighters, the

' combination with a font, of an assemblingthrough the bottom of thespill-cup into the said font, a nozzle located at the upper end of thesaid plunger and shaped to enter the a c eck-valve located between thefilling-opening of alighter when the same is pressed down upon it, aplunger-casing positioned at its upper end in the bottom of thespill-cup, extending downward into the font, and enclosing the lower endof the said plunger, a double-acting plunger-head or piston carried bythe said plunger near the lower end thereof, check-valves res' activelyinterposed between the plunger an its cas-

